Plant Biodiversity Inventory, Identification of Hotspots and Conservation Strategies for Threatened Species and Habitats in Kanchenjungha-Singhalila Ridge, Eastern Nepal PROJECT EXECUTANT Ethnobotanical Society of Nepal (ESON) 107 Guchha Marg, New Road, Kathmandu, Nepal Ph: 01 - 6213406, Email:
[email protected] , web: www.eson.org.np LOCAL COLLABORATORS Shree High Altitude Herb Growers Group (SHAHGG), Ilam & Deep Jyoti Youth Club (DJYC), Panchthar REPORT SUBMITTED TO Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) & WWF Nepal Program September 2008 Plant Biodiversity Inventory, Identification of Hotspots and Conservation Strategies for Threatened Species and Habitats in Kanchenjungha-Singhalila Ridge, Eastern Nepal Ripu M. Kunwar, Krishna K. Shrestha and Ram C. Poudel With the assistance of Sangeeta Rajbhandary, Jeevan Pandey, Nar B. Khatri Man K. Dhamala, Kamal Humagain, Rajendra Rai, Yub R. Poudel Ethnobotanical Society of Nepal (ESON) Karthmandu, Nepal In collaboration with Shree High Altitude Herb Growers Group (SHAHGG), Ilam Deep Jyoti Youth Club (DJYC), Panchthar September 2008 ii Preface The Eastern Himalaya stands out as being one of the globally important sites representing the important hotspots of the South Asia. The Eastern Himalaya has been included among the Earth’s biodiversity hotspots and it includes several Global 200 eco-regions, two endemic bird areas, and several centers for plant diversity. Kanchenjungha-Singhalila Complex (KSC) is one of the five prioritized landscape of the Eastern Himalaya, possesses globally significant population of landscape species. The complex stretches from Kanchenjungha Conservation Area (KCA) in Nepal, which is contiguous with Khanchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim, India, to the forest patches in south and southwest of KCA in Ilam, Panchthar and Jhapa districts.